Muse
by The Queen Of Mischief
Summary: Draco has a guilty pleasure that no-one knows about. And it's not what you'd think. Hermione is...attracted to his hobby. And NO, it's not what you think it it. Read more to find out! DH fluff! R
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Draco Malfoy sat in his dorm room alone. It was past midnight, and the entire school was dark, except for the small light at the tip of his wand from where it lay beside his right hand on the desk. There was a quill in his other hand and a scroll of parchment in front of him. He had been staring at it for the past fifteen minutes, his mind straying to other things.

The ink on his quill had dried up, but he didn't bother to dip it into the bottle of deep emerald ink again. He scanned the page again and scowled before putting his quill down and rolling up the scroll. He tied it up with a piece of string and hid it in the slit in his mattress where no-one would even dream of finding it.

--

_In the Great Hall at breakfast…_

"'Morning, Harry," said Hermione to her one of her best friends in the morning as she slid into the seat next to him. Harry smiled warmly.

"'Morning, 'Mione." She scanned the room. "Where's Ginny?" she asked.

"Sleeping in, I think," he replied thoughtfully, "hungry?"

She grinned. "Honestly? Not that much."

Harry stared at her before exclaiming. "but you haven't eaten in _eight hours! _I'm starving, and I got up for a snack at midnight!"

She laughed and said "Harry, you're always starving."

He laughed. "You have a point," he looked around for a moment. "Hey, where's Ron? I swear he was here a moment ago."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "How would I know? You're the one who was sitting next to him all morning."

Harry looked defensive and repeated, "I was hungry!"

She grinned at him and said, "I know, I know." He mock huffed and returned to his plate. She looked around the room once more and noticed the Slytherin table was uncharacteristically quiet that morning. She wondered why. Malfoy and his cronies usually made a lot of noise. Well, Malfoy more than the cronies, but still.

She noticed then that Malfoy was sitting at his usual place in the middle of the table—its heart—and was tiredly resting his forehead against his palm, pushing his hair out of his face, making his normally soft and—as much as she hated to admit it—perfect hair stand up in pyramid spikes. His elbow was rested on the table and he halfheartedly poked his food around his plate before rejecting it completely.

He looked up as though scanning the room as well and Hermione saw that his eyes were rimmed with dark circles. _I_ _wonder what _he's_ been doing all night. Taking into account his several girlfriends, it isn't that hard to imagine. _She thought with a roll of her eyes. His gaze fell on her momentarily and she stared back at him, completely astonished that he hadn't yet proffered his customary Malfoy smirk yet.

In the end, he just closed his eyes tiredly and looked away. _Guess all the 'charisma' was squeezed out of him last night._ She thought, then apprehended herself for contemplating his…er, nightly _activities_ so much.

"Hi, Hermione!" said a voice behind her. She spun around and saw a well-rested-looking Ginny beaming at her. She kissed Harry on the cheek, who gave her a special smile, reserved only for couples, and sat down on his other side. Almost a moment later, she commented, "Wow, the Great Hall's really quiet today, huh?"

"It's the Slytherin table," Hermione blurted out almost instantly, to her chagrin.

Ginny followed her gaze and said, "The ferret looks tired, doesn't he?"

"He does?" asked Harry, who had been—to put it politely—stuffing his face and had not noticed anything amiss.

"Of course." Replied Ginny. "I hope he's okay."

Hermione snorted. "What for? Who cares if he's not?"

"Hermione," said Ginny, reproachfully. "He's a person, just like us, you know. You could show a teensy bit of compassion."

"Oh, of course," said Hermione sarcastically. "Just like he's shown me—the mudblood— so much compassion, right?"

Ginny winced. "Yes well, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." She said wisely. Hermione and Harry stared at her blankly, failing to see any relevance of that statement to the conversation they were having.

"Well, whatever. You know what I mean." Said Ginny, dismissively.

"Hmm." Said Hermione, choosing not to get into it at that particular moment.

"And anyways," added Ginny as an afterthought, "who wouldn't feel compassionate towards him. He's so cute!"

Hermione spluttered.

"He's _what?"_ Harry had an identical expression of shock on his face.

"Oh, you're right. Cute isn't the right word, is it. Hot. Very hot," said Ginny, amending herself.

Harry decided to take umbrage at that. "Gin, I'm sitting right here, you know."

Ginny said, "Oh, Harry, don't freak out. I'm just _saying._ You know. He is. Ask anyone. They'll tell you."

"What about first year?" inquired Hermione.

"What about it?" asked Ginny, completely blank.

"Well, the Tom Riddle thing?" prompted Hermione.

"You think I should hold a grudge against him for that?" asked Ginny, looking like she wanted to laugh.

"Well, that would be pretty normal. And anyways, you shouldn't be saying he's hot, especially when you have Harry for a boyfriend." Harry looked thankful that someone was talking sense.

"Hermione, he wasn't even involved in that. I don't resent him for anything, except for being an arse to you, Ron and Harry. And anyway, I'm just stating a fact when I say he's hot. You want to know another fact? Harry is ten times hotter." She announced, and hugged him.

Harry blushed, but he was pleased.

There was silence. Hermione contemplated whether what Ginny was saying had any truth to it. Whether he really was hot or not. She'd never considered it before, but she supposed he could be. He wasn't hard to look at… Not very hard at all… Harry, on the other hand, was wondering if this pseudo-crush Ginny had on Malfoy was anything serious and whether or not he should be worried.

--

_In Potions…_

_Merlin, Snape is really droning on and on today, isn't he?_ Thought Draco, half asleep. Generally he could pay attention (just a little) to even the most boring of teachers, but today he was feeling exceptionally tired. That was probably because he hadn't managed even an hour of sleep the previous night. _Maybe I could just rest for a moment or so…_ he thought. But the moment he closed his eyes, he fell asleep.

"_Mis_ter Malfoy." Snapped an annoying voice in his dream. Oh, for the love of… he _finally_ managed to get a _moment_ of sleep and he dreams about _Snape_? Then he realized it wasn't a dream. Damn. His eyes flew open and he answered, managing to sound innocent and chirpy as though he had done nothing wrong, "Yes, Professor?" while on the inside he was muttering a string of profanities that would make even the most obscene of people tell him to mind his language.

"_What_, is the amount of time you need to boil Boomslang before it is ready for the Sersum Serum?" asked Snape, apparently happy to be catching a student red-handed. Normally he favored students from his own house. Draco wondered what had died and crawled up his arse, while answering, "Seven minutes, sir."

_What is up with him today? Oh well… _

Snape let out a most undignified grunt and resumed his lesson. There were quiet chuckles around the class. He glanced around and happened to see the mudblood, Granger, stifling a laugh by biting the knuckle of her index finger. He couldn't help but notice that she didn't look half bad when she did that. Well, she didn't look half bad most of the time. And by not half bad, he meant—of course—not quite as beaver-ish slash mudblood-y. Er. Yes. There was a brief silence in his head, which was followed by an explosion of _Why are you thinking about this!? You're _crazy!

Then he noticed the mud beaver staring at him. He managed a Malfoy Glare-o-death at her. Astonishingly enough, she looked just a tad relieved. He wondered why.

--

Hey everyone! This is the revamped version of chapter 1, in case you were wondering. I would like to thank Schermionie for her advice! Please review!  
TheQueenOfMischief


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Defense Against the Dark Arts…_

Hermione selected one of the few empty seats in the classroom. Even though she was early, everyone was already there. She caught Harry's gaze and waved. He waved back.

She stared out the window, mainly because she had nothing else to do, and wondered what her parents were doing right that moment. They were probably arguing. They did that a lot since she was ten (well, she still thought of herself as nine, as it had been just after her birthday that she received the letter), after she found out about Hogwarts.

Ever since her elder brother left for college, to put it politely, life in the Granger abode was, above all, awkward and oftentimes painful. It was mostly about money at first. Her brother had gotten into Imperial College. It was a brilliant school of course, but the tuition fees were also quite sizable, enough said.

Hermione remembered the first argument clearly. If you will pardon the cliché, she remembered it like it was yesterday…

--

"_John, how will we afford Imperial!? For God's sake, we'll go broke!" exclaimed Hermione's mother in a whisper. Her brother, Daemus, was fortunately asleep in his room and could not hear them. Knowing him as well as she did, Hermione knew he would immediately refuse to go, to save his parents from the financial burden. _

_Hermione, however, had wanted a glass of milk before she slept and had paused on the staircase, hearing her parents' usually calm voices hushed and worried. "I don't know, Regina! I don't know, okay?" her father almost yelled in frustration, "Why do you expect me to have all the answers?"_

"_I don't… just—" her mother broke off in exasperation. _

"_We have to let him go, Regina! He's been talking about it for years!"_

"_Oh, that's just great, so we let one child fulfill his dream and the other become a dropout? Brilliant, John, simply brilliant." Now her mother's voice seemed laced with venom. And worry._

"_How the _hell_ is she going to go to university? Think for a moment! Seven years from her life _missing!_ No high-school education, nothing! Unless you tell them that she's a fully trained witch, of course!"_

"_Shut your goddamned mouth and think for a moment, would you? Do you think the training for what_ever _job she picks is going to be _cheap_? It'll be the same as university!"_

"_So what do you expect me to do, huh?"_

"_Nothing!" said her mother with finality and anger. "You never do anything anyway. Useless." Her mother shook her head and started up the stairs. Hermione's heart caught in her throat and she ran back to her bed until she was sure her mom was gone. _

_Her father didn't go upstairs that night. _

_There was a lightning storm around midnight. Hermione was still awake. Normally she could sleep through storms but this time it was worse. She had never heard her parents argue. She clutched her stuffed bunny. Even though it had only one ear and was older than Hermione, she loved it because it had once been her brother's. _

_She clenched her eyes and attempted to sleep, but one more bolt of thunder was all it took to send her running and squealing to her brother's room, terrified, bunny (named Peter, after Peter Rabbit) in arms. _

_She dove under his bedcovers. He woke up with a start and looked around, wondering what had happened. Then he noticed the quivering lump under his bedcovers. He patted it gently and said "There, there," in a soothing voice. _

_Her parents came flying into his room and all the lights went on. Daemus winced but said nothing. _

"_Hermione!" her mother cried. "What are you doing?" _

_The lump continued to shake. Her father attempted to remove her but she wouldn't budge._

"_Guess she wants to stay here." said Daemus with a shrug. There was silence as her parents glared stonily at each other and their son stared at them in confusion. Eventually they bid him goodnight and left after turning off the lights. _

_The lump stopped shivering. Her brother didn't ask her what was wrong, or if she was okay. He merely hugged her and went back to sleep. _

_--_

The lightning storm had grown more and more significant to Hermione over the years. It symbolized the last day Hermione's parents had truly loved each other. After that first argument, her parents literally waged war against each other. It was no longer about money. They would make it, they both knew that. But the arguments grew pettier and pettier; until they would argue the moment they saw each other.

It was bearable at first, because Daemus was there. But then he left the year Hermione went to Hogwarts. And unlike her, he didn't get a chance to come back during the holidays, so Hermione had to face her parents alone.

--

She heard someone slide into the seat next to hers and she snapped back to reality. Then she blinked to see if the person sitting next to her was a figment of her imagination.

"Malfoy?" she asked incredulously once she had confirmed that it was not.

"What do you want, mudblood?" he snapped. She paused for a moment, wondering what it was that she wanted from him.

Finally, she decided to go with, "You know, your lack of creativity in insults shocks me."

He looked a bit stunned. Then he managed to remember himself and asked again. "Really, beaver, what is it?"

"Why are you sitting next to me?" she asked finally, as though it were a tad obvious what it was she wanted.

"Look around," he said, rolling his eyes, "Do you not see that every other seat in this class is taken?"

She looked around and saw he was right. "Oh." She responded a bit lamely. He rolled his eyes again.

It was at that moment that the teacher strolled in and greeted the class.

--

"What was that all about?" asked Harry at lunch.

"Hmm?" asked Hermione absently.

"You…sitting next to Draco Malfoy?" he prompted.

"You sat next to Draco Malfoy?" exclaimed Ginny, who was sitting across them.

"I didn't…" explained Hermione. "He sat next to me! Because there were no more seats in the class!"

"Ohhh. But still!" cried Ginny.

There was silence for a moment. "Hey, where's Ron?" asked Ginny. "Why hasn't he been sitting with us recently? Is he sitting with Lavender?" they all turned to face person in question, who was passionately kissing her boyfriend Seamus Finnigan. Ron was nowhere in sight.

"I think he's sitting with Pansy." suggested Harry.

"_Pansy?_ Pansy _Parkinson_?" Hermione was incredulous.

"Yeah, I've seen them hanging out recently." said Ginny thoughtfully.

"Merlin. Who'd have known." said Hermione.

But they weren't in the Great Hall at all. What they were doing, is entirely up to your imagination. But needless to say, Harry, Hermione and Ginny had a pretty good idea.

"That's disgusting." Commented Ginny after a moment.

"Well, if that's what Ron wants, I suppose we can't really fault him for it." Said Harry loyally.

Hermione agreed, but couldn't help but share Ginny's sentiments.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"_Dad, what should I do when I grow up?" asked a impressionable, idealistic eight-year-old Draco Malfoy._

"_First of all, Draco, the epitome of discipline is when you refer to your seniors and superiors with respect and use their appropriate titles. For instance, you will refer to me as Sir, and your mother as Ma'am." His father paused and looked at him._

"_Yes sir." Draco answered dutifully. _

"_And secondly, Draco, we've already discussed this. I've already told you what you want to be when you grow up. What is your duty as the heir to the Malfoy empire." began Lucius, "You will become a loyal servant of our Dark and all powerful Master."_

"_But sir, after we defeat…uh…" he paused, struggling to find an appropriate title, "The Others, can I do whatever I wanna do?" he sounded hopeful._

"_Son, the words are 'want to', and I will never hear such filthy muggle colloquialism from your mouth again. Will I?" he asked pointedly. It was a threat, but Draco didn't register it as one. _

"_Yes sir." he said promptly. _

"_And what is it that you want to be, boy?"_

_Draco cleared his throat and produced a highly crumpled sheath of papers, evidently very well loved. "I would like to submit a proposal," he began confidently. This was how all Daddy's friends told Daddy-Sir about their ideas. They wrote it out on smelly fancy paper with icky (smelly, too) green ink and they gave it to Daddy and he told them if it was okay or not. The papers also had...stuff like ketchup on them. Maybe whoever wrote them was eating a sandwich at the time. _

_He continued, "that after the Dark Lord's mission to…" he again found it hard to place exactly what the Dark Lord's mission was. "take over the world is complete, I join the noble profession of writing!" he presented the papers with a flourish. They were taped together. "Here is a story that I wrote."_

_Lucius accepted the papers with a raised eyebrow and a gleam in his eye that spoke of impending doom. He read the short…uh, _very _short story._

"Once upon a time there was Boy and Mother and Father and they loved each other very much. Father was big and tall and brave and scary and Mother was soft and warm but Boy loved them the same. Father gave Boy pretty toys, but Boy liked to read. Boy told Father and Father was happy. Father buyed books for Boy, and Boy was happy. The End."

_Lucius snarled and without speaking, he threw the papers into the fireplace behind him. They burst into flames. _

"_Every word that came out of your mouth is complete and utter rubbish. I never want to hear of this again. If you write another _story, _you will regret it."_

_Draco stood there and bore it without so much as a whimper. Lucius swept out of the room. Only then did Draco allow a lone tear to slide down his cheek. He attempted to retrieve his story, which was already charred beyond recognition, but it burnt him._

_--_

Draco Malfoy, now fifteen, shook his head at the memory. Since that evening, he had never spoken once about writing. But he didn't forget it. He couldn't.

So he wrote in secret, at night, in the school library, places where no-one would suspect that he was doing anything other than what he was supposed to. His anger at his father had built up magnificently, and he had completely discarded the idea of even becoming a Death Eater. Deep down, he knew that wasn't an option. But he would find a way. He had to.

--

Draco staggered out of the library with a pile of books and papers in his arms, so high that he could no longer see where he was going.

And of course, he bumped into someone. And that someone just happened to be Hermione Granger.

They both fell over and Draco's things flew everywhere. He moaned and rubbed his forehead which had been hit by a particularly hard book.

He noticed it was Granger, but rather then insulting or rolling his eyes at her, he began to pick up his things.

After a moment he asked impatiently, "Well, are you going to help me or what?"

She scowled but bent down to help him. Once the floor was clear of paper, she handed the stack to him. "Thanks." he muttered and she replied, "No problem." because that's what you say when someone thanks you. She even went so far as to offer a tiny smile before he left. Just then, she saw a piece of parchment that had slipped under the doors of the library which they previously hadn't noticed.

She picked it up and started to say, "Hey, Mal-" but the words died at her lips when she saw that the page had a "_By Draco Malfoy_" at the top in an elegant script that she figured was his. It was strange, because in school essays you normally wrote your name at the end of it rather than at the beginning.

She went into the library, going against all moral values of hers and began to read it…

--

_After Charms…_

Hermione waited outside the classroom, holding the scroll of parchment inconspicuously. She leaned against the wall and wondered where Malfoy was. Everyone else had already left the classroom, including Professor Flitwick.

Just then, Malfoy stepped out. He wouldn't even have noticed her, had she not said "Hey, wait!"

He spun around and stared at her. "Yes?" he asked curiously, despite himself. He immediately castigated himself for not adding an insult at the end.

"Here," She held out the scroll.

He didn't accept it, but smirked and asked with a raised eyebrow, "What's this? A love letter?"

"Dream on, Malfoy. It's more of a love _story._ Written by _you_." His eyes widened and he snatched it. "Unless of course you plagiarized it, something I wouldn't put past you." She added, hiding her surprise at his reaction.

"It's _not_ a love story." he snapped, "And I didn't plagiarize it." He clearly felt that it was more important to mention that it wasn't a romance, as opposed to the fact that he hadn't plagiarized it.

She looked at him. "You wrote this?"

He said venomously, "You had no right to read it."

"I tried to give it to you, but you left too fast." she protested. "And it said '_By Draco Malfoy_' at the top! How could I resist it?" he scowled at her.

She shrugged. "And FYI, it's not that bad. You know. That." she jerked her chin to the scroll, now in his hands.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked blankly.

"I said, it's not that ba—" she repeated, or attempted to, anyways.

"No, no," he interrupted, "I know what you said, Granger, I'm not deaf. I meant what's FYI?"

"Oh. For Your Information." She supplied, shocked that he had called her Granger. It was a step forward, she supposed. "How come you don't know that?"

"Two reasons. First, such obscene colloquialism is forbidden in the Malfoy Manor. Secondly, even if it were, such terms would only be used by mudbloods and muggles." He informed her coldly. _And we're back to square one, _she thought with a roll of her eyes.

"I see." She said, not knowing what else to say. He seemed to be at a loss for words as well.

"Er…well. I should go. Thanks… for…you know." he held up the scroll.

"Yeah, me too. Uh, you're welcome, I guess." she responded equally awkward.

They started to walk in their separate directions. Then he said "Hey, Granger, wait." She turned to face him, expectantly. He said, "Don't tell anyone about this, okay? Please?" he seemed sincere for once.

She smiled. "Don't worry, I won't. Your secret's safe."

He nodded, and offered a smile. "Thanks." And he walked away.

--

Thanks to my sister, Lady Merlin, for helping beta and also for contributing several parts of the chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Credits again to Lady Merlin for helping out with certain aspects of this chapter. Credits to all of you for reviewing??

**Chapter 4**

Hermione was in shock. Draco Malfoy—_the Draco Malfoy_—wrote? She would _never_ have pegged him for a writer. Ever. _Ev_er. It was surreal.

Questions popped up in her mind like weeds do in a garden. _How long has he been writing? What genre does he prefer? Do his parents know? Is he keeping it a secret? Will he pursue it as an adult? Won't his dad go all crazy death-eater on him?_ She wondered why it was she cared, but she rationalized that her natural curiosity was to blame. She didn't care about him. Not at all. She just felt a tad sorry for him because, well, it was common knowledge that Lucius Malfoy was a tyrant. Hermione personally thought of him as a raving lunatic, but that was politically incorrect.

It made him almost…human in Hermione's eyes now. As in, she knew Lucius Malfoy was a follower of Voldemort and she expected Draco to be one as well, but this small act of rebellion, almost, made him…not so bad. It was surprising. But she knew, deep down, that the main reason she hated Draco was because she thought that he would turn out just like his father. Maybe he wouldn't.

She shook these thoughts out of her head. This wasn't her problem. She walked into the Owlery. And lo and behold! Draco Malfoy stood next to his highly unique—yet in Hermione's opinion very cute—black owl, reading a letter, his brow furrowing more and more with each line he read.

He glanced up and saw her. For a moment his expression was blank, as though he didn't know how to respond to her presence anymore. He gave her a tiny nod of hello and returned to his letter. _Well that settles it, _thought Hermione with a roll of her eyes. She opened up her own letter and smiled broadly. It was from her brother.

_Hey Mimi! _Hermione scowled at the name.

_How's life? I notice that you managed to weasel your way out of the family gathering last month. I should also tell you that your owl scared my roommate to death. Seriously. He fainted. _Hermione grinned.

_Either way, mum and dad had a hissy fit in front of the whole family because you weren't coming. I took photos and Facebooked. Mum still doesn't believe in 'internet networking' so she doesn't know. Until uncle Edwin tells her. _Uncle Edwin was the uncle everyone wished they had. No-one realized what it _meant_ to have an uncle like him. It meant having buckets of crazy family moments and having every moment of your life Twittered. Or was it…tweeted? Either ways…she continued reading.

_How were your exams? Oh wait. Don't tell me. All A's? _Hermione couldn't help but grin. _How's that _Weasel _friend of yours? The really ugly redheaded one? The one who smells bad and is eternally covered in dirt?_

Hermione rolled her eyes. Daemus seemed to think Ron and her were having a torrid affair and seemed to be trying to prove how unsuitably hideous Ron was. She attempted to assure him that no such thing was happening, and never would. But he repeatedly told her that he was a man (she would have to take his word for that one) and that he knew men. She supposed. And Ron was the type that would "jump her bones" when she least expected it. Hermione shuddered at the image and continued reading.

_And how's Harry? And Ginny? I hope that Malfoy boy isn't bothering you anymore._

Just as she read those words , she heard breathing over her shoulder. She turned slowly to see a mop of summery golden hair attached to a head reading intently. She sidled away slowly and looked at him as though he were crazy.

He shrugged. "You were standing there like a statue for fifteen minutes, smiling. I figured you were either dead or reading something funny." He cackled gleefully and said, "Turns out it was hilarious…Mimi."

"Call me that one more time…" she threatened. He smirked.

"Who's Daemus?" he asked, before drawling in an extremely infantile manner, "Your boy-y-y-y-friend?"

She looked at him. "Number one, that was excruciatingly gay. Number two, he's my _brother._"

"You have a brother?" he asked.

She froze, realizing that she had just told her arch nemesis of five years about something not even her closest friends i.e. Harry and Ginny knew. She didn't know why she hadn't told them, it just never came up. And here she had blurted it to the _ferret_. "Yes, I have a brother." she snapped.

The ethereal moment was over. And Hermione was relieved because she didn't know what it meant. And the surprising thing was, she had liked it. She muttered that she had to go, and left. Draco shrugged.

--

_In the library…_

Hermione sat innocently reading, minding her own business, when someone slid into the seat next to hers. It was Malfoy! Why couldn't he leave her alone?

"'Morning Granger." he said, sounding almost…pleasant…

She decided to keep their conversation to the barest minimum from now on. "Mm." she responded.

"How's it going?" he persisted. She made a 'so-so' gesture with her hands.

"I take it you're not speaking or making eye contact with me because you're scared that when you set eyes on my beautifully proportionate face, you'll lose yourself in my unbelievably sexy eyes?" he said, deadpan.

She couldn't help but burst into laughter at that. He grinned. It was what he had intended in the first place. "My God, Malfoy, are you really that arrogant?" she looked at him, trying to control her giggles.

He nodded solemnly, then said, "Who wouldn't be, with my face?"

She rolled her eyes. "Hey, when did we become friends again?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"We're not." He said immediately, "We're just," he clarified, "not enemies."

"Ah. Well, glad we cleared _that_ up." she said sarcastically. He grinned.

It was a start.

--


	5. Chapter 5

Credits to—you guessed it—Lady Merlin, my sister for help with the plot development! Enjoy and review!

**Chapter 5**

A few months passed. Hermione and Draco had become very close study partners, and close as friends too. This had happened mainly because they realized they had very similar study methods (extensive tables and notes).

The exams had just ended and Hermione was out near the lake with Ron and Harry. Well, and Pansy. She and Harry chatted, attempting to be heard over the sound that Pansy and Ron were making as they passionately exchanged saliva, as they played tonsil hockey.

Draco was on his way out to touch the sunshine when a tall, scary looking (to a regular person. Draco personally didn't think he looked scary at all.) Ravenclaw approached him. He wasn't hideous beyond all compare, though. But then again, any man placed next to Draco Malfoy could look hideous beyond all compare, he thought with an inner smirk.

"Malfoy." He greeted. His look suggested he knew something that gave him the upper hand. It made Draco somewhat uneasy.

Draco fortunately knew his name, thanks to Blaise Zabini, his best friend and Slytherin gossip monger. Matthew McCormick. "McCormick." He responded, his voice cold and hard, how he always talked to people he didn't know or trust.

"Noticed you've been hanging around Granger a lot." he said casually as though they had known each other for years.

Draco wasn't about to show how weirded out he was. "So?" he asked coolly.

"Strange that a pureblood like you would hang around a half-blood like her." he said, clearly in no hurry.

"What's it to you?" asked Draco, attempting to take control of the situation. He didn't like that glint in McCormick's eyes that said he was about to get exactly what he wanted.

"I was just wondering…if you could get me a date with her." He said calmly.

_What?_ was something along the lines of what Draco wanted to say, but he didn't. He'd look like an idiot. "And why would I do something like that for _you_?" his tone implied that he was speaking to some sub-human creature.

"Oh, I just thought you might not want your father to see this." he said and pulled out a scroll. With a flourish, he opened it and Draco paled. It was another page of his book. He remembered a few days ago, when he had been in such a hurry to pack. He must have left a page behind. He should really learn to attach these pages. It was getting ridiculous. Maybe he could get Hermione to lend him that muggle instrument of hers. It was called a…a stapler or something. He knew his mind was throwing out these facts so he wouldn't have to deal with the issue at hand.

"I see I've hit a nerve." smirked McCormick. The bugger was perceptive.

"Where did you get that?" snapped Draco, even though he knew perfectly well. He was trying to buy time, so he could figure out his next move.

"Don't stall, Malfoy. You and I both know how _easy_ it would be to have my owl send this to your father. If you want this to stay in the dark, you'll do what I want."

Draco snorted. "Yeah, whatever. Anyway, we're not that close."

"Well then, you'd better get close."

"Fine, I'll get you a date with the mudblood. One date and that's it. You give me back the scroll. No copies of it, nothing." he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt when he said mudblood. His conscience was getting out of hand.

"Fine. But since I'm the bigger man, I'll give you my word. As a gentleman." McCormick smiled.

Draco turned and continued walking. But his route had changed. He had been planning to go and sit with Hermione but now he would sit in a quiet and secluded corner of the gardens. He leant his head against the wall of the school and allowed his skin to soak up the sunshine as he thought.

--

Everyone was relaxing and taking a break since the exams were over. For people like Harry and Ginny, it meant sitting in the common room with friends, laughing, chatting and eating tidbits. For people like Ron and Pansy it meant getting to second base. For people like Blaise and Lavender it meant catching up with schoolyard grapevine. For people like Hermione and Draco, of course, it meant reading in the library.

Hermione sat in her favourite spot in the library, reading a book she had wanted to for a long time, but had never gotten the chance to.

"Hey, Hermione," said Draco as he sat down next to her with a few books of his own.

"Hey, Draco," she replied with a smile that made him feel even more guilty for what he was about to do.

"So what do you think about that Matthew McCormick from Ravenclaw? He's cute, right?" he immediately wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole. Had he just called another man cute?

"Who?" asked Hermione, puzzled. The name was unfamiliar.

"You know, the tall scary one? What do you think about him?"

"For _you_?" she was surprised. "Merlin, Malfoy, I didn't know you were into men."

"Not for me." he rolled his eyes. She was going to make him spell it out, wasn't she? "For _you_."

"Why would I date a guy I don't know?"

"I don't see why a little unfamiliarity should get in the way of true love. I've slept with girls I only knew for a couple of hours. The shortest time I knew a girl was seven minutes. Then we found a broom closet." Okay, now he was bragging.

"Merlin Malfoy, that's disgusting." she said, giving him a little shove, "I don't know him! How can I go out with him?'

"Well, how do you think you're going to get to _know_ him _unless_ you go _out _with him?" he pointed out.

"The answer is no." she said firmly, "And why do you care, anyway?"

"I'm just looking out for you, the way friends do." he said casually wrapping an arm around her shoulders, buddy-style.

"O-okay… Anyway, didn't you say he was tall and scary?" she inquired.

"Did I say _scary?_" he asked innocently and laughed, "I meant _hairy_!"

"Ew. _Hairy?_"

"What?" he asked, puzzled, "I thought girls like hairy men."

"What? _No_. Who told you _that_?"

"Er, no-one?" he said, turning slightly red. She laughed. "Is that a yes?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"_No_."

"Maybe?" he suggested.

"_NO_." she rolled her eyes.

--

Even though Draco wasn't morally opposed to what he was doing (or so he told himself), he didn't particularly enjoy it, and it was not just for the thorough unpleasantness of the activity. It was largely due to the _emotion_ that painted the inside of his eyelids green.

He didn't know why he was feeling that. It was strange why he should care if he was setting Hermione up with whathisface. _It's because you like her!_ cried an inner voice, which was instantly blipped out by his brain. His brain disliked that inner voice of his, so anything it said was covered with white-out immediately. Traumatic experiences were also removed. Like that time he walked in his dorm room and saw Blaise and some random seventh year going at it like bunnies. On his _bed._ Draco would have switched beds with Blaise, had he not spent many a night having to cover his ears and face with a pillow because Blaise and some girl were at it in his bed. The carpet was not an option either. You could never quite tell where Blaise was going to have or had had sex.

He had to make do with disinfecting his sheets with some muggle cleaning thing called Dettol or something like that. Hermione introduced it to him. Actually, that was why he was sitting in the Great Hall alone with coffee at three in the morning, writing. Well, he _had _been writing before his thoughts strayed. Truth be told, he was hoping for a good night's sleep that night, but Blaise and a Slytherin girl were in his dorm, which made sleeping a bit awkward and uncomfortable.

His thoughts were interrupted by Hermione, who said "Hi," and sat down across him.

He smiled, genuinely happy to see her. "Hey," he said.

There was a brief silence. "So, you write." she stated conversationally. It was actually something she had been curious about for a while now but had never felt she was close enough to him to talk about it. Until now that is.

He froze. "Ye-e-e-es." he said cautiously.

"What about?" she smiled.

He struggled to find an appropriate genre, then summed it up in one brilliant and evasive word: "stuff".

"Wow, Draco, thanks, that was _so_ informative." she said sarcastically.

He grinned. "Thanks,"

"Seriously, though. Please tell me?" she asked.

He sighed. "Stuff I feel strongly about. It varies. Fiction, non-fiction."

"Oh." she asked the next most logical question, "Are they books or articles? Stuff you write, I mean."

"By books do you mean published or unpublished?"

She shrugged. "Anything."

"Then books. Fewer articles."

"Wait a minute, you've got a published book?" she blurted without thinking, then blushed.

He turned red and muttered, "Two."

She couldn't help but notice he looked extremely cute when he blushed. She took a moment to study his features. Silvery blonde hair, gray-blue eyes, long nose, chiseled-looking mouth, angular face with high cheekbones. Lean figure, long slim legs, slender, pianist's fingers.

"Wow," she said finally after processing that information. He grinned but turned even slightly redder. She was delighted, and deciphering that expression he scowled, which only increased her glee.

But he couldn't help but give a tiny grin after a moment.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Draco's anxiousness was increasing as time passed and Hermione continually refused to go out with whatisface. He never knew when McCormick would approach him, demanding to know why Hermione hadn't even looked at him yet. McCormick threatened him a bit more, saying that he would send the page if he didn't have a date by the next month.

--

Draco saw Hermione in the library and broke into a jog in his hurry to meet her.

"Hermione, will you go out with Matthew McCormick?" he asked going straight to the point.

She was, to say in the least, startled, but she overcame it quickly and said, "No."

"Please?" he asked very uncharacteristically.

"No."

"Ple-e-e-ase?" he dragged out the syllable.

"No-o-o-o."

"_Ple-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ease?"_

"_No!_"

Then he did something in his desperation that he would never forgive himself for, _ever_. Completely unbecoming of a Malfoy. He fell to his knees and clasped his hands together, intertwining his fingers and begged, "_Please?_"

Hermione was mortified because everyone in the library—not many people, but still—was staring at them. "Draco, _what_ are you—"

She was cut off by Harry who had just walked in and asked no-one in particular, "Do I smell something nasty?" he was of course, directing it towards Draco. Since Harry and found that Hermione and Draco were friends, he had accepted it, more or less—Harry was sweet like that; he had the "A friend of my friend is a friend of mine" policy—but he and Draco enjoyed sparring with each other like that. Hermione internally thought they enjoyed it secretly.

Draco, still on his knees, turned his head to smile pleasantly at Harry. "Must be your shoes," he suggested, "I could smell them a mile away."

Harry scowled and asked, "Is he harassing you?"

"Yes, actually," she began, and Draco looked highly affronted as he stood up and brushed off his knees, "he is, but I can handle it."

Harry shrugged and walked off to find Ginny, which was the real reason he had come into the library in the first place. He should have known that the library would be the last place he could find her.

"Draco, _what_, is going on?" she demanded. "You've been pestering me to go out with this guy. Why?"

He wondered if he should tell her. _Is it worth it? Will she agree to go out with him? It's either that or she'll hate me for being a sneaky bastard forever. _He decided the risk was too great. He didn't think life would be very fun at all without Hermione in it.

"No reason." he said after this thought process.

She glared at him. "_Tell_ me." He began to think how he could avoid the question. Nothing came to mind. He hesitated. The only way out was to tell her. But should he?

Seeing his obvious hesitation and reluctance, she softened a bit. "I won't get mad, I promise."

He looked up at her with his wide gray eyes and her breath caught in her throat. She hastily shoved it down when he opened his mouth to speak. He told her everything, about the whole conversation he and McCormick had had.

She listened attentively, he expression unchanged. Once he was done, there was silence. "You're mad, aren't you?" he said quietly.

To his surprise, she laughed. "Is _that_ it? That's the reason? My God, Draco, you could have told me that!"

He was shocked.

"I can't believe you bothered keeping all that from me!" she exclaimed, between laughs.

Regaining some of his composure, he sniffed and said, "It's not that funny,"

"It _is_ so funny!"

"So?" he demanded somewhat impatiently now.

"Fine, I'll go out with him. But only once."

"Yep. Once." He grinned and she grinned back, and for the first time in a while, Draco felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Hermione and Matthew McCormick sat in the Three Broomsticks at Hogsmeade.

It had been awkward, but Hermione decided to be kind. Be kind by being blunt. "So one date and you'll give me the scroll, right?" she asked plainly.

McCormick winced slightly and said, "He told you about that, did he?"

"Yes, he did, and frankly I am appalled that you would resort to blackmail to get a date. Somewhat flattered, but appalled nevertheless."

"Sorry." he muttered, clearly not expecting her to say this.

"I mean, I'm sure you're not that bad a person, but really. I don't even know you! Why don't you go out with one of your friends from Ravenclaw?"

"Well, how are we supposed to get to know each other unless we go out?"

"Why do all men have that logic? It's stupid! We don't know anything about each other!"

"I don't see why a little unfamiliarity should get in the way of things." he said.

_Merlin, he's a clone of Draco!_ "At least he's not hairy…" she muttered under her breath.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Nothing, nothing."

There was a brief silence, then, "You hate me already, don't you?" he said.

"Like I said, I don't know you. It would be illogical to hate you, despite some lack of restraint on your part." she said, attempting to sound kind.

He looked genuinely apologetic, "Sorry."

--

Meanwhile, back in Hogwarts, which was where Draco had opted to stay for this particular trip, on account of the fact that he had nothing to do in Hogsmeade at that point in time.

He was worried about Hermione's date.

He knew that it was illogical because how the date went was not part of his agreement with McCormick, but he was wondering if she was having a good time.

Secretly though, he wished she wasn't.

Even though he felt awful about it (something he would never admit in a million billion years) he hoped that Hermione had a bad time so she wouldn't go on a second date with whatisface. Or third or fourth.

"Draco, stop pacing, you're wearing a hole into the ground," complained Blaise Zabini, his best friend as he lay sprawled across his bed.

Draco muttered something unintelligible and flapped a hand in his direction dismissively.

"Why are you so bothered anyways? It's not like she has to enjoy the date or anything."

Draco had felt bad about not telling Blaise about the writing thing so he told him.

He had expected Blaise to scoff at him and tell everyone he knew and never speak to Draco again, seeing as he was pureblood (though never much one for rules, which was why he felt no hatred towards non-purebloods or muggles, a trait which Draco had never understood till he met Hermione), but to his amazement, Blaise just smiled and said "You have crossed over to the dark side, my friend."

Then he had looked confused, because technically, the dark side was their families' side, but he figured Draco knew what he meant.

Draco muttered something else, equally inaudibly.

Blaise looked thoughtful for a moment. Then his expression changed to enlightenment, then incredulousness. "My God," he said, "you _like_ her don't you!"

"Of course I do. We're friends."

"No I mean, you _like-_like her, don't you!"

"No I don't." lied Draco. Well, he didn't know it was a lie, but it was still a lie.

"Yes you do!"

Draco agreed, "You're right. I do like her. In fact, I love her. I think about her all day. She's my only reason to live." He said this all very sincerely.

Blaise couldn't believe his ears. "Seriously?"

Draco looked at him deadpan and said "No."

Blaise looked somewhat disappointed. "Oh."

Messing with Blaise's head always cheered Draco up a bit, but it wasn't as fun this time round for some reason.

--

"Hey Draco."

"Hey 'Mione." said Draco, surprised to see her, though it had been a while since they had gotten back from Hogsmeade. "How'd it go?"

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess. Oh, and this I believe, is yours." She handed him a scroll.

"Thanks, 'Mione. I owe you one."

She shook her head. "Don't mention it."

"So what's your next class?"

"Uhh, Arithmetic I think." He said after a momentary expression of absolute adorableness.

Again her breath caught in her throat. "Oh, okay. I have Charms. And as a matter of fact, I'm already late."

"Me too." he grinned and they both made a dash for their classes.

But as she sat in Charms, studiously taking notes as she always did, she couldn't seem to bring her heartbeat back to a rate that was considered somewhat normal, no matter how hard she tried. And Draco kept seeping into her thoughts.

--

"Hey Ginny, what's up?" asked Hermione to a very unusual looking Ginny. She seemed highly excited. She normally did have a very cheerful and happy demeanor but this time she looked specially eager and bubbly.

"Hermione! Hey! Can I ask you something?"

Hermione gave her a wry smile. "Since when have you ever asked me whether or not you can ask me something?" she asked teasingly.

Ginny ignored her. "I just wanted to ask you if you like-like Draco."

Hermione was blank. "What?"

"Do…you…_like_…Draco?" asked Ginny slowly as though speaking to a retard.

"NO!" cried Hermione, understanding Ginny's meaning.

"Oh." Said Ginny sounding disappointed for some reason.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Ginny."

"NOTHING!" cried Ginny desperately trying to sound innocent. Just then, Harry came in, so the conversation was over, much to Ginny's relief.

Hermione still didn't get it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Dear Hermione,_

_How are you, sweetheart? Are you enjoying your school? What else is happening?_

_Everything here is fine, as usual, though your father seems to be insistent on bothering me to death. _

_Would you believe that that man had the _nerve_, the guts to ask me "Who's earning most of this money, I ask you?" as if I don't do my part! _

_Well, excuse _me _if I have to be a homemaker and work as well! Obviously I won't be able to earn as much when I don't work as many hours in the office! _

_But he sees no reason, I swear! That bastard of a man._

_I'm going to say this one time and one time only, Hermione, from woman to woman, if you have any sense, marry a rich man once you get out of school and live a life of leisure. _

_You can work if you _must_, but you won't be scraping and pinching to bring food to the table like I do._

_Anyways, I can't write for long, I have a roast in the oven and I have to get to work in an hour. So I just wanted to check how you're doing and if everything is okay. So write back soon!_

_I love you, sweetheart._

_Mom_

Hermione cringed as she read her mother's little rant once more, and was shocked that she would swear at him.

They had all given up any pretense of pretending that they weren't struggling for money in the Granger abode. They were poor and that was that. But along with that her parents had also stopped pretending that they loved each other even a bit.

Hermione sighed. _How could that happen? How could two people start off loving each other so much, then just stop one day when money was tight? Didn't love overcome everything? _

_Or didn't they really love each other from the beginning?_

It was a dismal thought.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Hi, sweety. How are you? Enjoying school, I hope. _

_Everything here is fine, though your mother seems insistent on spending us out of house and home. Would you believe her, spending as much as she would before she had married me! _

_I know she was a rich kid and all, but really! She buys toilet bowl cleaner imported from _France!_ FRANCE! And then she doesn't even use it! _

_And she throws out things that expired just a few days ago! You won't _die_ if you eat that, you know! _

_Crazy woman. Hermione, I tell you, I'm at my wit's end. _

_Anyways, I can't stay for long because _She_ is screaming for me. Write back soon, sweety._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Hermione shook her head in disbelief. How could two people who were so similar loathe each other like that!? Their letters had been identical! It was insane.

She held the letters side-by-side and examined them. Even their _handwriting_ was alike. It was ridiculous.

"Hey Hermione." said Draco, walking into the Owlery and seeing her.

"Hi Draco." she said attempting to sound cheerful.

"What's wrong?" he asked, completely seeing through her cheerful-ish exterior.

She sighed. "My parents are having problems again.'

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, my parents haven't spoken to each other in two years, other than at all those fancy events they drag me to, and even then, only because they have to." he offered cheerfully.

"How can you be so cheerful about it?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, I haven't spoken to them of my free will for three years." he added proudly, as though this were an accomplishment. Then, seeing her expression, he added sympathetically, "It just takes some getting used to, is all."

She nodded and attempted another smile, more successfully this time round. "Thanks Draco."

He grinned. "Don't mention it." Then he paused. "Seriously. Don't. Mention it. If anyone knew how dysfunctional the Malfoy family really was my mother would commit suicide and then my dad would murder me before he ran away to Siberia and lived the rest of his live in secluded comfort. Cold secluded comfort." He sounded perfectly serious.

After a moment though, he smiled and she smiled back, resisting the urge to hug him.

Wait, what?

--

Hey guys, apologies for the short chappie. But I may not be able to get anything up in a while though because my new school is starting tomorrow and I'll have to adjust and all. But I'll try my best to post up as many chappies more as possible before the exams and all start. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!  
xxx  
TheQueenOfMischief


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Hermione loved how Draco and her could sit in one room and not do anything, or just read and not feel awkward at all. There was no rush to fill the silence with mindless talk. Most of the time, they sat in the library, the place where they were both the most at home.

"Hi Draco,"

"Hi 'Mione,"

And he would sit down next to her and open up his book. She would resume her's, and no more would be spoken.

She loved how she could do that with Draco.

It didn't work with Harry or Ginny, and they were her closest friends. Well, before she met Draco anyways. Ginny would always be her best _girl_friend, and Harry would be like her brother, but Draco would be her closest friend.

She could talk to Harry and Ginny about almost everything, but to Draco she was the most similar, and knew he could relate to her.

Of course, there was the part where she almost had a heart attack whenever he smiled, but this was new. And she was more than willing to turn a blind eye to it because she really didn't want to know what it meant.

--

"Ginny," said Hermione one day when she could no longer bear it. She had been stifling this for days now, and she was in desperate need for some girl on girl talk. "Is it weird that I get these weird palpitations and sweaty palms when I'm around Draco? Or am I sick or something?"

Ginny didn't answer for a moment. Her mouth formed a small 'o' shape. Then she let out this squeal. Hermione covered her ears in agony.

When the pain ended, Hermione uncovered her ears because Ginny was saying something. "VE HIM 'MIONE!" she exclaimed. Since this sentence made no sense, Hermione asked for clarification, only to receive and eye roll and, "If you would just listen!"

Hermione motioned with her hand for Ginny to go on. Which she did. Promptly.

"I said, it means you _love_ him, 'Mione!!!"

"Huh?" _Love? When did _love_ come into any of this? LOVE?! What was Ginny talking about? She was mad! _

"Yes, Hermione, don't be thick. LOVE. Those symptoms you described to me are classic lovesickness symptoms."

"No they're not. I'm sure I'm just sick or something."

"You are sick." Conceded Ginny.

"Really?" Hermione couldn't believe her ears.

"Lovesick." Ginny finished. Hermione groaned.

"Ginny-y-y-y-y-y." she dragged out the word. "Stop saying that."

"Why-y-y-y?" replied Ginny, matching her tone.

"Because… well, because, even if I do like him, he doesn't like me."

"Says who?"

"Everyone."

"Oh really? 'Everyone' namely being you?"

"Yep. Gotta problem with that?"

"Yes, I do as a matter of fact."

"Come on. What're the chances that he actually likes me?" asked Hermione flatly.

"Pretty high, actually."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really. Come on Hermione. Stop being such a mushy banana."

"Stop being such a _what_?"

"You know! Show some balls. Be a man."

There was a pause. Hermione stared at Ginny pointedly, demonstrating that she could do neither of the aforementioned things, more because of lack of the necessary appendages to do the job than lack of willingness.

"Ginny, you're making no sense whatsoever. Nil."

"Fine. Be that way, but I'm telling you, 'Mione, you'll see. In about six months you and Draco will be happily dating."

"Mmhmm." Said Hermione, skeptical.

"Yes."

Just then, Draco walked past. Hermione and Ginny had been walking down a corridor as they talked and when Draco walked past them, he did a double take. "Oh, hey, 'Mione." He smiled.

Ginny started giggling uncontrollably, as though Draco had said something that was so obviously flirtatious, even though it wasn't.

Draco gave her an odd look. "Hi Draco," said Hermione, restraining laughter. Not because there was anything especially funny about the situation, but because Ginny's laughter was unbelievably infectious.

"Um, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Charms together."

"Sure. Bye Gin!" Hermione waved and began walking with Draco. Ginny looked at their disappearing figures knowingly and smiled.

"So what was that all about?" asked Draco, grinning.

"Oh, nothing. Ginny developed psychic powers. It's strange considering her Astronomy is less than brilliant." She blurted without thinking.

Draco looked blank.

Hermione elaborated, turning red as she did so. She was a terrible liar. "Uh, she thinks you and I are going to get together in six months…"

There was an awkward silence, during which Hermione anticipated Draco would a) walk away in disgust and never return or b) laugh at her till he cried. There was a miniscule possibility that he would kiss her and just be done with it, but that was not going to happen, Hermione knew, because they didn't even _like_ each other in that way.

Draco opened his mouth to speak, then snapped it shut. There was an expression on his face which Hermione had never seen before, and thus couldn't decipher.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," he shrugged, sensing her discomfort, "Blaise seems to think the same thing."

Hermione groaned. "Why are they all _obsessed _about us getting together?"

Draco shrugged again. "'Cos they have nothing else to do?" he suggested.

Hermione nodded as if he had a valid point, which he did.

"So."

"So."

By then they had reached their Charms class, and Draco held open the door, gentlemanly-ly. She rolled her eyes. He looked vaguely offended. "I act like a gentleman and _this_ is how you respond?" he sniffed.

Hermione grinned and said with exaggerated gratitude, "_Thank_ you, Draco! How can I ever repay you?"

"Well, for starters you can be my slave for ever and ever." he said hopefully.

"Shut up." she rolled her eyes.

"_Fiiine."_ he said grumpily, but couldn't hold back a smile.

--


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_Hey Mimi!_

_How's everything going? Having fun with Malfoy? *wink wink* I have to concede, though, he is a lot better than whatisface. The freckled monstrosity. Good job._

_So things here are good. Graduation is close, as you know. I can't wait! Although finding material for the final assignment is hard as hell. Ah well, once I'm out of here I'll be free, eh? Well, as free as you can be when you're interning at a hospital 10 hours a day._

_Anyways, just wrote to check that you're okay. And to ask if you could please stop sending that owl to my dorm? Because my roommate's seriously not feeling well. He's hit his head so many times while falling over when he sees it that he had a permanent lump on his head. It stopped being funny a while ago, though. _

_So write back soon! And have fun with your boyfriend i.e. Draco not The F.M (Freckled Monstrosity)._

_Love, _

_Daemus_

"What's up, 'Mione?"

Hermione jumped, not expecting anyone to be in the Owlery this late, i.e. 8p.m. "Merlin, Draco, don't _do_ that!"

"Do what?" he asked, blank.

She struggled for the right word. "_Appear_ like that. You scared me half to death."

He grinned, revealing his dazzlingly white and perfectly aligned teeth.

"I just came to check my letters."

"Oh, is that why you came to the _Owlery_? To check your _letters_? I never would have guessed." she said sarcastically, smiling.

He laughed. And of course, Hermione felt a pang of something in her heart, which she couldn't identify.

He went over to his black owl, which Hermione knew now was called Thump, because it kept bumping into things when it delivered letters during the day. Draco had gotten it when he was six and had refused to get a new one, even though Thump was old and bumped into more stuff. Even though it had scared the crap out of him when he was little, bumping into everything like that, he loved it. Which Hermione couldn't help but find unbelievably cute.

_Stop thinking these things! You're mad!_ She told herself firmly, and proceeded to have a long mental debate about it. When she came back to earth, she saw Draco reading a letter, frowning.

Politely, she didn't say anything, but stood a small distance away and waited for him to finish.

When he did, pretty soon, he looked up, his expression angry, and crumpled it into a small ball before shoving it in his pocket. He inhaled deeply, as though trying to calm down.

"Draco, are you alright?"

He didn't respond. She walked up to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Draco?"

"My father won't stop trying to force me to become a Death Eater." He said, his voice low and angry. He didn't meet her gaze, but when he did, her breath stopped in her throat because of the intensity of the emotions in his cloudy gray eyes. He looked away again.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again.

"It's all he can talk about. Other than that, we haven't spoken in who knows how long now." he said quietly.

"Draco, it's your life, and in the end there's nothing he can do to make you do something you don't want to." she said quietly as well.

He nodded. "I know."

Then, without warning, she hugged him tightly. For a moment he didn't respond, and she worried that he might be pissed or something, but then he slowly returned the hug. Relieved, she buried her face into his shoulder, feeling immensely sorry and angry that he had a family that didn't even come close to deserving someone like him.

When she eventually, reluctantly, pulled away, they wordlessly left the Owlery together and went to their dorms.

Hermione couldn't sleep that night. She was too angry. The next day when Ginny asked her why she had purple bruise-like circles under her eyes, Hermione didn't tell her the real reason. It seemed too private, too personal even to share with Ginny.

"Hermione, are you sick?" asked the ever-so-innocent Harry, noticing for the first time that hormone wasn't concentrating properly and that she looked very tired.

"She's _fine, _Harry. Don't fuss." Ron interjected before Hermione could say anything. Hermione glared at him. How dare he answer her questions for her? And wrongly, too? Ron however, remained oblivious.

"Ron, shut up." said Hermione angrily. He just shrugged and returned to stuffing himself. "It's nothing Harry." she said to Harry. "Don't worry."

Ginny was now also casting Ron dirty looks, which he ignored rather well.

"Well, if you need anything, just tell me, okay?"

He was so sweet! "I will, Harry. Thanks." she said, with a smile.

--

"Hermione, I think you're studying too hard." said Draco a few days after the dates for the examinations were given out. Hermione had begun to study. A lot. It made you feel stupid just to stand there and watch her work.

"What?" asked Hermione distractedly from the essay she was writing.

"Studying. You. Too hard." repeated Draco.

"No, of course not. I don't have time for this."

"Merlin, Granger, the exams aren't for another five months!"

She shot him a pointed look before returning to her essay.

He rolled his eyes. "You're a bloody lunatic."

"Mmm." she barely acknowledged the insult.

"You don't look very well-rested." he commented after a moment's silence.

"I was studying."

"Do you intend to carry on like this until the exams?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, yes."

"Oh for the love of—" he broke off. "Okay. Rest time."

"I can't! I have to stu—" she protested.

"You do, but not till you kill yourself." he said firmly. "Come on."

"No!"

"Hermione." he said. "Come _on_!" this time he actually took her wrist and pulled her up. Caught by surprise, she didn't resist at all, and she was thus almost flung into him. Upon recovering from her surprise, she found her face about three centimeters from his neck, which was about how tall she was, compared to him.

Without thinking, or perhaps because of instinct, she inhaled and smelt that incredible Draco smell. He smelt _nice_. She could practically feel some of the warmth radiating from his skin.

They both simultaneously stepped back, mumbling halfhearted sorries. But it didn't end there (**A/N of course it didn't! I'm the crazy fluff-addict, remember? (: **). Instead, upon stepping back, Hermione stumbled into her chair and Draco had to grab her by the forearm to keep her from falling. Which wasn't _too _embarrassing.

Not.

Hermione regained her stability and muttered "Thanks."

He smirked.

She sniffed. "That's what happens when you try to force me to take a break."

He chuckled.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Hermione lay on her bed, chewing her fingernail thoughtfully. It was very strange, the way her pulse quickened whenever she saw Draco. She thought about what Ginny had said. Could it be possible that she liked him?

Could it? She found her mind drifting to all those _moments_ with Draco. Life with him was so _fun_. Him joking around, making fun of everyone, everything. She thought about his grin, and the way he forever pushed the "gorgeously silky and sexy" (his words, not hers) lock of hair from his forehead. The way he was so passionate about his writing…

Then she snapped back to reality. What did it matter? She was never going to get together with him. Why bother moping around so much? Hermione never believed in depression—she thought it was all in the head…well, it is technically, but you know what I mean—but she felt unexplainably moody for the rest of the day nevertheless.

She dragged herself off the bed, her head throbbing, and groaned. _If this is what love feels like, I want nothing to do with it._ She thought decisively.

--

"Dude, what's wrong with you today?" demanded Blaise Zabini of his best friend one day.

Draco gave him a look. "Nothing."

"Something's wrong. I know you well enough to know something's wrong."

"Well, it's nothing."

"You haven't been writing much recently." noted Blaise.

"Yes, well, I've been a little distracted." muttered Draco.

Blaise cupped a hand over his ear even though he had heard what Draco had said, and asked "I'm sorry? Could you repeat that? Distracted, you say? By what?" he smiled, clearly taking glee in Draco's pained expression.

"Shut up, Zabini."

"I knew it!" announced Blaise triumphantly, somewhat randomly.

"Huh?" Draco asked blankly.

"You DO!"

"Uh, Blaise? Buddy? Should I take you to the hospital wing?" asked Draco uneasily. Being around crazy people was never very fun or relaxing.

Blaise tutted and said "I mean, you DO like her!"

"Like who?" Draco had an inkling of who exactly Blaise might be referring to, but he refused to admit that he had been thinking of Hermione the moment the phrase "like her" had come out of Blaise's mouth.

Blaise rolled his eyes impatiently. "Merlin, Draco."

"_Merlin?_ You think I like…_Merlin_??? Ew. He's a gross old guy with a beard. Oh, and he's _dead_." Draco was disgusted. "And anyway, Merlin isn't a 'her'."

"Oh for the love of—" uttered Blaise. "HERMIONE. You like Hermione, you effing idiot."

"Hermione?" asked Draco slightly nervously now. He tried to appear nonchalant (and failed miserably) as he asked "Why would I like Hermione?"

Blaise gave him a look.

"Okay, _fine._ You win, happy?"

"No, not exactly. You haven't quite admitted your undying passion for her."

Draco raised an eyebrow, despite the turmoil in his head. "Are you gay?" he inquired, calmly, as though he were asking 'What day is it today?'

"No!" scoffed Blaise.

"Oh, because I really thought you were."

"Shut up and admit it."

"Admit what?" asked Draco infuriatingly.

Blaise snarled "That you like her-_mi _-o_-nee_." He broke Hermione's name into one-syllable sounds.

"Oh." Draco wanted to lie. He really did, but when he opened his mouth, he blurted out, "Yes, I do."

"AHA!"

"What?" asked Draco defensively.

"I knew it!"

"That you're a complete pain in the ass?" asked Draco tiredly.

"No!" Draco's jibe rolled right off Blaise. "That you like her!"

"Oh God." Moaned Draco. "Shut up already."

Blaise looked as though he wanted to give a girlish squeal but was barely controlling himself.

Draco rolled his eyes.

--

I am so sorry for the major delay! New school in S'pore=1000000000 times more homework. They're directly proportional. So sorry! And sorry too, for the short chappie. You would expect more after such a long break, but I have been so swamped with projects and crap that I'm going nuts. Literally. Speaking of which… I have to bring walnuts to school tomorrow. For biology. Where the heck am I going to get walnuts at 10 pm? Okay, okay, sorry, I'll stop ranting. Umm, review please?? And any suggestions are highly welcome to help me out of this stupid writer's block. Uhh. Yeah. So sleepy!!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Okay, perhaps Blaise had a point, thought Draco— his cheek resting on his palm, his elbow propped on the desk—as he doodled in his notebook during Charms. Merlin, was Flitwick ever going to shut up? On an on and on and on… He sighed annoyed-ly and enlarged the already very large spiral on his page.

He suddenly became aware of a pair of brown eyes looking at him with concern. He looked at Hermione and she mouthed _What's wrong?_

He shook his head and mouthed back, _Nothing._

Her gaze fell to his notebook and she raised an eyebrow. He felt his face turn red. "What?" he asked defensively.

She grinned and said "Nothing."

Then, after a moment, to his surprise, she reached across his arm with a pencil and began to doodle on his page too. She started off with a small flower and extended the stem. Eventually, she rested her chin on the back of her palm as she drew. He could feel her warm breath on his wrist.

Hermione, meanwhile, had just realized what she was doing. _Oh shit._ She swore mentally. But no matter what she told herself, she just didn't feel like pulling away.

"Ms. Granger." came a sharp voice. Hermione jerked her head up and saw Flitwick, tapping his foot on the floor, his arms crossed. Oh boy.

"Would you care to explain how exactly to move your wand in order to perform the hex we were just discussing?"

Oh crap. He didn't even tell her which hex it was! He knew she hadn't really been paying attention.

Then she heard a voice discreetly whisper, "_Aguamenti _hex."

She was relieved. That one was easy. She answered Flitwick's question, only to have him look bewildered, then continue his lesson.

She turned to Draco. "Thanks," she whispered.

"No problem." He grinned.

--

"Hey Gin." said Hermione, as Ginny walked into the Gryffindor common room.

"Hey 'Mione." said Ginny in a very singsong-y voice, a huge smile on her face.

"What's up?"

Ginny looked at her expectantly when Hermione asked that question.

"What?"

"Has it happened? Did you see it?"

"See what?"

"HERMIONE. Don't make me spell it out for you! Did you see that you love Draco and Draco loves you?"

Hermione was silent for a moment. She ducked her head eventually, as she felt her cheeks heating up.

Ginny let out a squeak of joy and practically jumped on Hermione before hugging her.

Hermione was pretty surprised. Not that Ginny cared.

Ginny squealed, "I knew it, I just _knew _it!" in an extremely un-Ginny-like manner. Well, not that Hermione couldn't picture Ginny saying something like that on a regular basis, but it was just the joy with which Ginny announced it.

"Knew what?" came Harry's voice as he entered the common room.

"Oh, er… nothing?" asked Ginny, hoping that he wouldn't pursue the topic.

Looking at her and Hermione's perfectly innocent, beaming faces, he shrugged. "I've got Quidditch practice…so…" he _accio_-d his broomstick and waved at them before leaving the room.

"Look, Ginny, I really don't wanna talk about this."

"But-but…" Ginny stammered, looking bewildered. "You know he likes you…he must!"

Hermione just gave her a look, then left the common room.

--

Upon leaving the common room, she realized she had nowhere to go. She glanced at her watch and realized she was free for a whole hour and a half. What would she do?

She decided to go outside. It had been a bright, sunshiny morning. She hoped the good weather kept up.

She walked straight up to the giant tree right by the lake and sat down, leaning against it.

She closed her eyes, allowing her skin to soak up the warmth.

Suddenly, she felt someone sit down next to her.

"Hey, Draco." she smiled, after she'd opened her eyes.

"Hey. I thought you were asleep or something." He smiled at her.

She shook her head. "Nah."

"Free period?"

"Nope." she replied cheerfully.

He looked somewhat surprised. "I'm skipping class." she explained. "And since I'm so stupid, I'm going to sit out in the open where anyone could see me skiving."

"Oh, I see." He smiled. "Well, I happen to be skiving too, and I'm also really stupid. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." she replied sweetly. They stared at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing.

They sat in silence for a while, and Hermione resumed her somewhat depressing thoughts, without meaning to.

"What's wrong, 'Mione?" asked Draco, concerned, seeing her drawn face.

She glanced up as though she had forgotten he was still in the room and said, forcing a smile, "Nothing."

"Nothing?" he repeated. "Hermione, I think I've known you long enough to know when something's wrong."

She sighed.

He sniffed, looking mock offended, "Well, if that's how you're going to be about it… I think I'll take my business elsewhere."

"What business?"

There was a pause. Draco looked stumped. "I'll take my_self_ elsewhere." he rephrased his sentence, mentally blipping out the original one.

She giggled.

There was silence before he grinned. She felt better, without even knowing it.

How was it that he could do that to her? She really must like him, she concluded as she lay in bed that night, chewing her pinky fingernail.

She felt happy when she admitted it to herself. Liberated, even. It was a good feeling.

--

In History of Magic…

Hermione and Draco had entered the class together, and chosen a pair of tables by the side, in the middle. Inconspicuous, but close enough so they could pay attention.

"You know, I get the feeling he gets a kick out of boring us half to death." muttered Draco, and Hermione giggled, before hastily stifling it.

They sat in silence for a while, trying to focus and follow what Binns was saying, with limited levels of success.

At least it was a somewhat windy day, so the classroom wasn't too stuffy and everyone didn't feel that sleepy.

Suddenly, though, a random gust of wind blew a few locks of Hermione's hair into her face.

Just as she was about to impatiently push them away, though, Draco reached out his hand and gently tucked them behind her ear.

She froze, not breathing, her face feeling warmer and warmer. Apparently realizing what he had just done, Draco abruptly pulled his hand away, and awkwardly cleared his throat before busying himself with his notes.

Hermione was somewhat relieved that they hadn't talked about it or anything because truth be told, that would have been uncomfortable. She was similar to Draco in that way. They didn't really like to talk about feelings and stuff. Silence was preferred.

--

Draco's POV

_Shit. SHIT. SHIT! What have you _done, _you imbecile? *mental groan* Why are you so _stupid?_ Why did you _DO _that? Oh sweet Merlin, now she's going to think I like her. Wait. I do like her. Fine. She's going to _know_ I like her. Which is worse! Shit shit shit shit shit shit. _

Not knowing what the hell else to do, Draco quickly started tidying up the mess that was forever scattered all over his desk in every class, trying very, very hard not to think about what he had done. More to the point, how it had felt.


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for this rather short chappie, and also the previous ones, which were very short as well. It's a struggle to get time to finish even one chapter nowadays, what with school and exams and tests and all. It's 10.15 p.m. and I'm already half asleep. Major physics test tomorrow. Okay, then. Enjoy this chapter! I have a feeling you will!!! *wink wink* Haha, you won't know what I'm talking about till you read it, so I'll stop rambling. Goodnight peeps…or, good morning if you're on the other side of the world! REVIEW!

**Chapter 13**

Hermione woke up with a gasp. She had been having a terrible dream. It was about… it was about…something. She couldn't remember. All she knew was that it had been nasty. And though she tried to go back to sleep, she found she couldn't.

Giving up, she sat upright and glanced at the time. 1 am. Crap. She felt early-morning hungry. Possibly because she hadn't eaten too much dinner the previous night.

She sighed, but silenced herself when Lavender stirred. Getting out of bed, she tentatively touched her toes to the ground and jerked them up abruptly. It was so cold!

She slipped into her slippers and stood up. She shivered and hastily put on her coat.

She tiptoed out of her room as quietly as possible. Once outside, she relaxed and walked towards the kitchen, while on the lookout for Filch and his evil henchwoman i.e. Mrs. Norris.

Upon reaching the kitchen undetected, she tickled the pear in the portrait and stepped inside once the door swung open.

She felt like eating peanut butter straight out of the jar, like she used to do with Daemus sometimes before he went to college.

They would sit side by side, and use their fingers to dig the creamy goop out of the jar, generally joking around and Daemus telling her about his school and listening attentively as she told him about hers.

It would almost inevitably end with Daemus jokingly sticking his peanut butter-covered finger in her hair, and her squealing in surprise and trying to return the favor. She never really managed; he was too tall.

Hermione sighed as she remembered that happy moment and asked the house elf for peanut butter.

When he brought it, she thanked him and looked at the spoon, wondering if she should use it. She decided to. She opened the jar and gently stuck her spoon in. She loved opening a brand new jar of PB. It was so fun!

So she slowly began to eat the peanut butter, wondering why she hadn't had it in so long.

"What is that?" asked a voice, which she, not that she would ever admit it, immediately recognized.

That's not to say she didn't jump about ten feet off her chair in shock.

"Draco!" she exclaimed when she was almost breathing normally—not that her breathing was ever completely normal when she was around him.

"Hey, Granger." he said in a jokey way. "What's up?"

"Nothing." she replied.

"Why are you up so late? Couldn't sleep?" he asked, concern in his tone.

"Yeah. I had a bad dream." _Shit. She hadn't meant to say that._ "You?" she asked, covering.

"Not sleepy." he shrugged dismissively. "Are you okay? You seem kind of...sad." his voice was worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she smiled as un-sadly as possible, loving him for noticing. "I was just thinking about my brother. We used to eat peanut butter out of the jar all the time."

"Is that what this is?" he inquired.

"What? Oh, yeah, it is. You've never eaten peanut butter?" she asked incredulously.

"Pureblood, remember?" he asked, pointing to himself.

"Deprived, you mean." she couldn't help but jibe.

He stuck his tongue out at her. "Can I try some?"

"Of course," she replied, slightly startled and handed him her spoon.

He took it from her, his hand accidently brushing hers and sending sparks up her arm. Merlin, she had it bad.

He tentatively stuck the spoon inside the jar and scooped out a teensy bit. Bringing the spoon to eye level, he examined it, looking extremely adorable as he did so. She resisted the urge to push the spoon aside, grab his face and kiss him.

She blushed as she pictured that in her mind **(A/N and now you're picturing it too, right? Well, if you weren't, you are now :D)** and observed as he cautiously put it in his mouth. A moment later, he broke out into a smile.

"This is brilliant. Who knew Muggles weren't complete morons when making stuff?"

"All the Muggles and Muggle borns in the world." she retorted with a smile. He tweaked her nose playfully and she smiled, internally hyperventilating at the simple touch.

They passed the spoon back and forth, eating the peanut butter which clamped their mouths shut and made them sound very funny while speaking.

At around three a.m., when they had finally finished the peanut butter, they decided to go back to their dorms.

They stood up at the same time, and found themselves mere centimeters away from each other. Hermione could feel warmth radiating from him. She tilted her head upwards to meet his eye and he met hers.

They locked gazes for a breathless moment, and then he cupped his hands around her neck and kissed her.

All the thoughts went rushing out of Hermione's brain, and the only thing she could think of was how nice this felt.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. She felt her arms slide around his neck and her fingers run through his hair.

This was the most amazing kiss Hermione had ever had. Her lips instinctively parted. He tasted like peanut butter, and chocolate, for some reason.

Her heart was beating so fast, she was sure he could feel it hammering through her chest. Her stomach was somersaulting and she felt so _happy,_ it was incredible.

His hair was so silky and nice and he smelt so good, and felt so warm that she wanted to be even closer to him, even though their bodies were already pressed together.

Almost reluctantly, due to lack of air, they pulled away, gasping. His expression was unreadable. Unable to resist, she pulled his head down again and kissed him with some desperation, which she tried to mask, failing.

When she pulled away again, he had a small smile on his face. She felt her cheeks heating up, and ducked her head, her arms still around his neck, and his still around her waist, their bodies still crushed against each other.

After a second or two, he lifted her chin up with his index finger, and kissed her forehead gently. Brushing her hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear, he murmured, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

She couldn't help but smile. "Same here."

He grinned back at her and said, "Shall we?" he gestured to the doorway.

She nodded, and feeling immensely sad, she removed her arms from his neck, and he from her waist, and they walked out of the kitchen, shoulder to shoulder.

Draco automatically walked Hermione to the Gryffindor tower, even though the Slytherin one was in the opposite direction.

Wishing they didn't have to wait till morning to see each other again, and knowing they shared the same sentiments, Draco grinned and said, "Well, at least now you can kiss me goodnight."

She giggled. "How did I ever forget that?" she said and tiptoed up and pressed her lips against his firmly, placing her hands on the sides of his face.

Pulling away, he grinned at her. "Goodnight, 'Mione."

"Goodnight, Draco."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

A few months passed. Hermione and Draco were steadily dating, and Hermione couldn't have been happier.

However, one day, Draco appeared very shifty, for some reason. She met him at the doors of the Great Hall in the morning as they were about to go in and have breakfast. He was being very jumpy.

"Hermione." he said, somewhat nervously. A smile barely made his lips as she kissed his cheek, puzzled.

"Morning, Draco. What's wrong?" she asked.

"Wrong? Nothing!" he laughed nervously. "Nothing." he murmured again.

"Uh. Okay…" despite being intrigued, she didn't press it.

"Hey, Drake." came Blaise Zabini's voice from behind them. Draco jumped about ten feet in the air. "_Blaise!_" he exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"

"Um. It's the Great Hall. It's morning. My stomach's empty. Take a wild guess." said Blaise, drily.

Draco laughed again, nervously, and hurriedly went into the Great Hall.

"What's up with him today?" asked Hermione, concernedly.

Blaise gave her a knowing smile, and tapped the side of his nose. "Can't tell you. I'd have to kill you."

Hermione's eyes glittered. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close so that they were eye to eye. "Blaise Zabini, you _will_ tell me what's wrong with Draco, or I swear to God, I will make sure you _never_ have children." she said forcefully.

Blaise looked terrified out of his wits.

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, lady, you're a maniac!" he exclaimed.

She gave him a look. He hurried to answer her question before she actually carried out the aforementioned threat.

"Well, if you _must_ know, it's…" he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Draco's birthday."

"NO!" said Hermione, not able to believe it. How come he hadn't told her?

"Why didn't he tell me?" she asked, hurt.

Blaise patted her shoulder comfortingly. "It's just that Draco really isn't used to that much attention."

"Oh, really?" she asked skeptically. Everyone knew that Draco was _the_ attention magnet, rivaled only by Harry. His charm, charisma, and immense hotness drew people to him, and he knew it, and used it to his advantage.

"Well." Blaise hunched a shoulder. "It's a different kind of attention. Draco hasn't really had any birthday celebrations at home—his parents weren't really that interested—so when he came to Hogwarts in First Year, he didn't know how to respond when all the Slytherins threw him a ginormous birthday bash. He made us promise never to do that again."

Hermione felt depressed. He'd never had any birthday parties? "That's…so sad." she said.

Blaise nodded. "I know. But please don't make a big deal out of it, or he'll really kill me."

"Don't worry, Blaise. I won't." she assured him. Then, as an afterthought, "Thanks. For telling me, I mean."

He saluted her in response, and with a signature Blaise grin, he trotted into the Great Hall with some of his friends.

--

Later that day, Hermione went into the library, knowing she would most likely see Draco there. She had said nothing about his birthday all day, and Draco had gradually gotten less jumpy and become normal again.

He grinned and waved at her. She sat down next to him and kissed him. "Hi, Draco."

"Hey, 'Mione." he was smiling.

"I have something for you." she said, and saw him stiffen, to her dismay.

"For what?" he asked somewhat tightly.

"Well. For your birthday." she said. There was no point pretending she didn't know.

"SHHHH." he said, covering her mouth.

"Okay, okay." she whispered, and opened up her bag.

"'Mione, you shouldn't have gotten me anything. I don't usually get birthday presents." he said.

"I know, and that's sad. So here is the first of many birthday presents to come, from me at least."

He turned slightly red as she pulled out a slim, rectangular, black box. She held it out to him, beaming, and he hesitantly accepted. He stared at it for a moment, then stared at her, with wide, innocent eyes. "Now what?"

"Open it!" she said, resisting the urge to kiss him.

He gingerly opened the box, and saw a silver, cylindrical metal object that ended with a point on one end. It had a small _D_ engraved on it.

He looked at it blankly. "What is it?"

She fought a smile and said, "It's a ballpoint pen."

"What is it for?"

"Writing. I figured it must be irritating, having to constantly dip your quill in ink every few seconds while writing, so…here's the solution. This is what muggles use to write."

"Cool!" he said, a small smile curving his lips. "Teach me how to use it."

She grinned, her heart fluttering, and took out the pen. Opening it, she took out a spare bit of parchment and scribbled on it.

It took a moment to get it to work, then black ink began to flow smoothly onto the paper.

Draco looked awed. "No inkpot?" he asked, as though he were in denial.

She smiled. "No inkpot." she handed him the pen. He looked at it for a moment, then placed it on the table, before gently pulling her close and kissing her. "Thanks, 'Mione."

She was too dazed to respond immediately, so it took a moment before she said, "You're welcome."

--

A bit short? Sorry 'bout that. Exams just ended, so I should be ecstatic. But I'm not. Because I have a stupid Hindi exam tomorrow, which isn't counted in the final grade, but my mum keeps telling me to study for it. And I have…gasp! _Project work_. Jeesh. The 1 week March holidays are next week and I'll be going back to school every day. Even Saturday and Sunday! Okay, I'll stop ranting. At least we get one week to freak out and have fun before the results come out. *Shudder* Anyhoos, I hope you liked it, and if you have any suggestions, please feel free to tell me about them! Lord knows my brain could use a little help now.

TheQueenOfMischief (bit of a lie, really, seeing as I haven't really done anything that mischievous in say… the past four years? Haha. Give or take)


End file.
